Que Sera Sera
by L33tKyuubi
Summary: Arthur Kirkland doesn't think much of his life. That is until he meets a certain street rat who helps him learn about acceptance and putting others above oneself. However, the two soon learn that these things come with a hefty price.
1. Chapter 1

Glasses chinked together as the bartender began to close up shop for the night. The bar was completely vacant, save for one extremely drunk patron. Said patron was currently passed out at the bar counter. The bartender eyed him warily. This was not a new occurrence to him. Arthur Kirkland was a regular customer to the tiny bar right off Rock Road. The bartender finished putting away the last of the shot glasses when he finally decided to wake the beast. "Arthur, it's time to go home." He said as he gently shook the man's shoulders. The Briton grumbled something incoherent before swatting the invasive hands away from him. The bartender frowned. "Arthur," he scolded, "Do you need me to call someone?"

The Brit shook his head begrudgingly. After putting forth an unneeded extreme amount of effort, Arthur peeled himself off of the bar and stumbled ungracefully towards the door. The bartender watched his swaying figure as he retreated. He sighed heavily once the front door slammed shut behind the man. "Poor sap." He muttered as he moved to lock the door behind him.

Arthur grimaced as the cold morning air hit his flushed face, the alcohol slowly seeping out of his pores and into the crisp, fresh air. He mentally noted and groaned at the severe lack of taxis at this time of the day. Luckily, he wasn't staying too far down the road. He had managed to get a great deal on a fairly decent hotel right in the heart of downtown. Slowly, and with a heavy heart and aching feet, Arthur started towards Oldtown. The streets were eerily quiet with only a few cars passing by every now and then, paying no attention to the empty soul along the way.

However, the alcohol that was still in his system made his mind a bit hazy, which in turn made his sense of direction go askew. He meandered around for what seemed like hours before finally ending up at a familiar place. Arthur looked up blearily to find the looming blue dome of Century II staring back down at him. He knew Wichita could be confusing, but he did at least know that Oldtown had to be close by now. Or at least he hoped so. Arthur was beginning to turn away from the massive theater when he heard distant shouting voices coming from behind him.

Curiosity getting the better of him, the blonde cautiously turned around. He didn't have time to react as a dark golden blur ran by him quickly, managing to pluck the Brit's wallet out of his blazer pocket without so much as a second glance. By the time Arthur had realized that he had just been robbed, the teenager was already turning a corner on the street behind him. "Hey!" He yelled as he turned on his heel and chased after the boy as best he could without falling over. To Arthur's surprise, he found himself catching up to the boy. He'd like to contribute that to the fact that the alcohol he had consumed earlier had somehow given him superhuman speed, but he ended up attributing it to the fact that the boy was probably tiring and slowing down on his own.

"Bloody git!" Arthur yelled in a fit of rage. The boy visibly tensed at the sound of the exasperated voice. Just as Arthur was closing in on the thief, however, the boy seemed to get a burst of adrenaline as he sprinted down the street, leaving Arthur in the dust. Arthur let out a cry of frustration and stormed angrily all the way back to his hotel. By the time he got back to his room, he could barely keep his eyes open. He flopped onto his bed and buried his face into his pillow. It smelled like mint chocolate and soap. He sighed into it and tried not to lament over his stolen wallet as he drifted off to sleep.

The next morning hit Arthur like a ton of bricks. From the moment he woke up Arthur's head would not stop its insistent pounding. The fact that he left the blinds open the night before only succeeded in worsening his already bad migraine. He had nursed plenty of hangovers like this one before, however, so it didn't bother him all that much. He dragged himself out of bed and peeled off his sticky clothes and stepped under the warm stream of water in the shower. He let his muscles relax under the scalding liquid and sighed deeply. He tried to remember exactly why he was visiting this town. Something to do with one of his brothers, he supposed. His mind was still a bit hazy after last night's events.

Not that he minded too much that he couldn't remember. He enjoyed Wichita. He thought it was the perfect size; not big enough to where Arthur felt claustrophobic every time he walked down the street, but not small enough to where there was nothing to do. The locals were relatively polite, although he sometimes ran into the occasional rude person who shoved him aside in the parking lot of Towne East. Arthur still wanted to find that man and punch him square in the jaw. He was tired of the East coast, which smelled eternally of fish and was muskier than London even on a good day. And he was definitely tired of the West coast, with its eternal layer of smog and bitchy, over-sexualized celebrities who held that pompous attitude that screamed 'I'm better than you in every single way possible.' He shook his head, letting the water run down his still tense body.

After stewing in his thoughts a bit longer, he turned the knobs on the porcelain wall slowly, feeling the last of the water wash away his languid thoughts before stepping out. He shivered as the cold air hit his naked body. He quickly grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his skinny waist. He started gathering his clothes while trying to remember what it was that he had to do that day. "Brother." He mumbled to himself as he buttoned up his shirt. He needed to meet his brother somewhere, but where? He cursed his inability to remember the location his brother had set for them to meet. He scoffed, "I'll figure it out." He said aloud as he went to grab for his wallet only to find that it wasn't there. He had already forgotten the hooligan who stole it out from under his nose last night. He cursed under his breath, grabbed his cell phone, and headed towards the lobby.

He noticed that it was considerably warmer today than yesterday as he stepped outside into the warm Kansas sunlight. He shielded his eyes and looked skyward. There were a few scattered clouds here and there, but for the most part it was clear. He could get used to this kind of weather. He straightened his tie and pulled out his cell to call for a cab. It took a few minutes longer than it should have for the cab to arrive, but Arthur wasn't about to let that ruin his day. Not before he met his brother, anyway. He wasn't exactly sure what Scott wanted to show him at this Exploration Place something or other, but he knew it better be damn important to drag him all the way from London to the bloody United States of all places.

He told the cab driver his destination and received a gruff nod as confirmation. The cab pulled out of the hotel parking lot slowly. Arthur relaxed in the back seat and turned to rest his forehead against the window. He watched as house after house flew by at a cruising rate of forty miles per hour. He sighed and closed his eyes. He was still a bit worn out from his escapades the night before. He was about to drift off again when his cell phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket, causing Arthur to jump and curse loudly. The cab driver eyed him in his rearview mirror, but soon returned his eyes back to the road. Arthur fished around in his pocket for his phone and pulled it out hastily. He squinted at the bright LCD screen at the name flashing across it.

"This had better be important, Scott. I thought I was about to meet you in," he glanced at his watch, "now." He said blandly as he noticed the cab driver pulling into the parking lot of the Exploration Place. "Uh yeah, about that…" His brother started. This couldn't end well. Arthur sighed again, "What is it?" He asked through gritted teeth. He heard his brother chuckle sheepishly, "I'm going to have to cancel our little date. Seems other business came up and I have to fly out of KC today! Sorry, bro. Guess I'll have to show you some other time!" Arthur blinked, "Wait what? Show me what? Scott!"

But the dial tone was already blasting through Arthur's already pounding eardrum. The cab driver turned around and spat, "Ten dollars even." Arthur glared at the bloke, but relented the money and exited the vehicle. He stood stiffly in the parking lot as he heard the cab pull away behind him. He contemplated throwing his phone against the concrete below him. That damn brat! How dare he do this to him? Arthur was shaking with rage, but decided it best to keep his only form of contact with the outside world intact. He looked around the parking lot. There had to be hundreds of cars here. What exactly was this place anyway? He decided he had nothing better to do all day since his original plans had just been washed away, so he thought it couldn't hurt to see what all the fuss was about.

Arthur began to push his way through the crowd of people lining up to gain entrance to the gigantic structure. He casually glanced over while waiting to buy a ticket to see a huge water fountain spurting out sparkling water on the waterfront. He watched as the water was propelled higher and higher and eventually fell back to the earth, back into the body from whence it came only to repeat the process over again. He became mesmerized by the repetitive action. "…sir?" He gradually faded back into reality by the sound of a young girl's voice. Arthur turned toward her and blinked, "Pardon me, but what did you say?"

The young brunette smiled shyly, "I asked if you wanted to purchase a ticket." She said quietly. Arthur stared at the fidgeting girl. Glancing briefly at her nametag, he found her name to be Shyllyn. He nodded his head lightly and exchanged a couple of dollars for the small piece of paper that allowed him entrance into the center. Shyllyn grinned brightly at the Brit and waved as he moved to enter, "Thank you, sir! Have a nice day!" Arthur offered a bored wave in response and finally entered the gigantic building.

As soon as he entered, he was awestruck at the enormous displays littering the lobby. He meandered aimlessly from exhibit to exhibit, eventually getting lost within his own mind. He let the displays whisk him away from reality and into the deepest parts of space. In this state of mind, Arthur felt at peace. However, that peace of mind was short lived. As soon as he came down from his high and was just about ready to leave this magnificent place, he caught a glimpse of a familiar golden blur. The boy caught his eye immediately, but Arthur couldn't quite place why he seemed so familiar to him. Then it hit him like a ton of bricks.

"You're the wanker who stole my wallet last night!" Arthur shouted to the boy, gaining his and others' attention. Now completely sober, Arthur could finally get a good look at the little rat. He inwardly grimaced as he noticed the boy's sickeningly thin frame and jutting hips. The teenager's blue eyes widened in fear and he realized that the crazy man was directing his tirade at him. "Don't think you can escape me that easily!" Arthur shouted, gaining more unwanted attention from passersby. Arthur moved to trail the boy, who had pretty good speed despite his weak appearance. Shyllyn had just gotten off work when she noticed the pair run out at blinding speed into the depths of the parking lot. Curious, she ran to follow Arthur.

* * *

**Hey guys! I'm back with another story orz. Few things to note with this story; I'm not a native Wichitan, but I've been there enough to know where most of the attractions and main drags are in the town. There's a reason it's being used as the setting, you'll just have to wait and see what the reason is~ Can you guess who the kid is? (Like it's not obvious orz). I really shouldn't be starting another story this early into my second semester at college, but I really liked the idea in my head and decided to jot it down during my German history class. Also I know a girl named Shyllyn, and I've always thought it was a gorgeous name. However, to quell your troubled mind, she will be the only OC-ish person in this story. Everyone else will be Hetalia related, mmkay? So no worries there. Anyway, sorry to leave with kind of a cliffhanger for the first chapter. fffff- I'm going to go write the second chapter now! Ta ta for now~ **


	2. Chapter 2

Shyllyn could hear Arthur yelling up ahead of her, but she couldn't make out what he was saying. She huffed and sped up her pace. Just as she was beginning to catch up to the Brit, she saw him skid to a sudden halt. She stopped on a dime, nearly losing her footing in the process. She inched close and closer as she tried to remain undetectable to Arthur. The closer she crept, the more she could hear Arthur saying. "…miserable twat! Your life will amount to absolutely nothing if you keep up this petty thievery!" Shyllyn blinked, had the boy stolen something from Arthur?

She saw the boy on the other side of Arthur. They were standing about twenty feet away from each other. She couldn't clearly make out the other boy's face. "Well? Are you just going to stand there and say nothing? Aren't you going to at least defend yourself?" Arthur suddenly yelled after a moment of silence. The boy stayed firm.

Shyllyn could hear Arthur grumbling to himself. She couldn't help it; she had to know what this thief looked like. She was very nearsighted, but she never wore her glasses. Not wanting to sneak around anymore, she stepped out from behind the car she was hiding behind and walked up next to Arthur to get a better look at the boy.

Arthur started sputtering, clearly surprised to see the lowly cashier girl from earlier at his side. Now that she was closer to the boy, she could get a clear look at his face. She gasped suddenly and Arthur shot her a curious glance. She never thought that she would have to stare into those blue eyes ever again. "…Alfred?" She inquired quietly.

The boy stared back at her for a moment before a mixed expression of realization and horror crossed his features. He turned to run but Shyllyn balked him, "Wait, Alfred!" Arthur was clearly surprised when the boy heeded the orders given to him. He turned back around and walked closer to the pair.

Arthur took a few steps back but suddenly felt a hand on his arm. He glanced over at Shyllyn, a determined look on her face. "Let me handle this." She said firmly. Arthur thought he would be making a bad choice accepting her offer for help, but at this point he honestly didn't care anymore. He sighed in defeat and nodded solemnly. Shyllyn closed the gap between her and Alfred. The two stood facing face to face. Arthur simply watched from the background, curious as to how the two kids knew each other.

Blue clashed with brown. They stood facing each other for a good few minutes before Shyllyn finally broke the silence, "Alfred, please tell me what happened? I haven't seen head or tail of you since that day last year." At the mention of said day, Alfred's face visibly darkened. Shyllyn's eyes softened and she placed a tender hand on Alfred's shoulders. "Alfred, whatever you're going through, I can help. Please, return whatever it is you stole from this man and let's talk it out over a cup of coffee, okay?" Her voice was calm and even, as if she'd done something like this before. Alfred lowered his eyes and stared blankly at the pavement, "I can't." He said softly. Shyllyn had to strain to hear him. "Why not?" She asked.

Alfred lifted his head and stared past Shyllyn at Arthur. The Brit flinched under the heavy gaze of the younger man. "I don't have it anymore." He directed it more towards Arthur than Shyllyn. At this, Arthur visibly tensed. Soon anger started to boil up in his throat. He marched over to the boy and yelled, "What do you mean you don't have it? Are you daft? What the hell did you do with it? Answer me, boy!"

Alfred ignored the smaller man's rant and turned his eyes back to Shyllyn. She blinked at him curiously, her eyes asking the same as Arthur. "Shy, you're my friend, right?" Alfred asked. Shyllyn flinched and softened again the mention of her old nickname.

"Of course, Alfred. What is it?" She prodded gently. Alfred tried to avoid her gaze, but Shyllyn placed her hand under his chin and turned his head back to face her. "Alfred." She scolded softly. Alfred's eyes were glazed over, she noticed, and they seemed distant and detached from reality. A pang of worry struck her. Alfred chanced one more glance at the Briton beside her before whispering ever so lightly, "Come with me. Both of you." Shyllyn backed up a bit in surprise. She turned to Arthur, who looked just as shocked as she did. Alfred shooed Shyllyn's hand away from his face and turned to walk out of the parking lot.

"Be discreet." They heard Alfred say before he seemed to completely forget about their existence and continue his walk silently. The pair looked at each other, eyes questioning. Shyllyn eventually shrugged and turned to follow the boy. Arthur sighed and grumbled, "What the hell am I getting myself into?" before following after Shyllyn. The pair stayed a good twenty or thirty feet behind Alfred so as not to gain any unwanted attention from passersby.

From the general direction of where they were going, Arthur confirmed that they were headed into the downtown area; back to the place where Alfred had stolen Arthur's wallet not hours before. Arthur couldn't help but glare at the young man in front of him.

_"Who exactly is this twit? And how does he know the girl who works at the Exploration place? Why can't anything in my life ever be normal for a change?" _Arthur thought to himself. He sighed audibly and Shyllyn glanced back at him. She offered him a weak smile before turning back to follow Alfred. As they entered the downtown area, Arthur seemed to get lost again in his own mind.

The tall buildings were intimidating, but nothing along the lines of London's towering skyscrapers. He looked around to see a good number of people walking along, perusing the shops lined along the road. They didn't seem to be in too big of a hurry, which Arthur enjoyed about the population here. Nobody was ever in a big hurry to get anywhere. It was a nice change of pace from the hustle and bustle of London.

Arthur was so far gone that he didn't even notice when Shyllyn abruptly came to a stop in front of him. He slammed into her backside and cursed loudly, "Fuck!" Shyllyn nearly lost her balance for the second time that day. She managed to stay upright just enough to whip around and plant her hand firmly on Arthur's mouth.

She shushed him and his face turned red. They both looked back to Alfred, who was staring at them curiously. Shyllyn tore her hand away from Arthur's mouth and shuffled back over to Alfred. Arthur wiped at his mouth and followed suit. Alfred merely shrugged his shoulders and continued on.

The duo was eventually led to a shady looking building near the heart of downtown. Arthur couldn't recall ever noticing this building before when he had passed by here. He wasn't sure if he wanted to follow Alfred in or not. His thoughts returned to his wallet which contained important things to him, both of monetary and familial value.

He sighed and decided to tough it out. He noticed Shyllyn looked just as nervous as he felt, but she seemed determined to help this Alfred kid in any way she could. Arthur rolled his eyes at her pathetic display of loyalty to her friend. Who could ever want to support this dirty little thief was beyond him.

Alfred silently motioned for the two to follow him in. Alfred entered and headed towards the back of the room. Arthur and Shyllyn waited a few minutes before entering behind him. Arthur looked around the large room disinterestedly. It looked to be just another bar. Why it was hidden among the more noticeable shops and restaurants that littered the street around it was a mystery. Arthur scanned the room for any sight of the frail boy they were just following.

He frowned when he noticed him near the back of the bar surrounded by large burly men. Most looked as though they had just stepped out of Men in Black. There was one person, however, that stuck out among the sea of black and white suits.

The man didn't look to be much older than Arthur himself. He was dressed rather casually given his immediate surroundings. He wore a flannel shirt along with a pair of fitting jeans. He had no shoes on, which Arthur thought a little strange. His short brown hair barely fell over his dark green eyes. The most striking feature about him to Arthur, though, was his smile. It looked like the devil had possessed those pearly whites and was eyeing its next prey.

That's when Arthur noticed the guy staring at Alfred rather hungrily. Arthur felt a strange sensation flutter in his stomach at the sight of it, but couldn't put his finger on exactly what he was feeling.

The Brit pushed the unwanted feeling out of his mind and, consequences be damned, marched right up to the slimy man. The guy didn't notice Arthur coming towards him until he was directly standing in front of him. Reluctantly, the man tore his eyes away from Alfred to eye the intruder. Rather than see Arthur, the hungry eyes fell on the girl standing behind him.

He smirked and stood up to reach around Arthur and pull Shyllyn into his embrace. The petite girl flushed and tried to get away from the strange man, but he held firm. "And what brings you to our humble abode, kitten?" The man's voice was like bitter chocolate that was past its prime. Arthur cringed at the sound of it.

"Uh, Alfred?" The girl both answered the question and inquired curiously. The boy, who had remained stone silent throughout the time they had spent there, gazed up at his old friend. Arthur noticed that his eyes had glazed over once more and he had that distant look about him. Arthur eyed him curiously for a few seconds longer before turning his attention to the damsel in distress.

"She obviously thinks you're disgusting, as do I, so please release her." He said coolly. The man sneered up at Arthur, but his smarmy grin soon appeared on his face once more, "Ouch, this kitty's got claws." He said, sarcasm oozing off his horrid voice. "Belt up! All I came here for was my wallet. So please, return it to me and I won't have to get the authorities involved." Arthur growled, holding his hand out expectantly.

The man eyed him curiously once more before returning his gaze to Alfred. Realization soon spread across his features and he let out a howling laugh. Arthur barely flinched at the man's bizarre behavior. "So…the cat's finally out of the bag, Alfie?" The man grinned at the now frightened looking boy behind him. Arthur swallowed, whatever he had just said had ignited something in the room. The atmosphere had suddenly changed from playful to serious, and Arthur knew it was because of him. He lowered his hand and watched as the man's face faded from that of amusement to one of innate rage.

Without so much as a warning, the man doubled back and slapped Alfred across the face. The sound reverberated off the walls, causing the other patrons of the bar to fall eerily silent as they watched the spectacle play out. Alfred touched his cheek delicately, but did not look the man in the eyes. He merely stared at the floor, as if this was a regular occurrence. Just as suddenly as the man had become angered, that filthy grin appeared on his face once more as he turned to address Arthur, "Welcome to the jungle, kitten. The name's Marin, and you just found yourself in the middle of a prostitution ring."

* * *

**Okay, so...I guess I lied about Shyllyn being the only OC-ish character in this story. I'm sorry! *hides*I just had to put in a sort of antagonist character and I couldn't subject that to any of the Hetalia canon characters. So yeah. Anyway, I've been writing this in between classes and work. I have, like, no time to do my homework. I'm taking a graduate level history class in only my second semester in college so things are a bit tough at the moment. But I really like this story, so between this one, Sneaky, and my original story that I'm writing, I'll see to it that I get into a sort of semi-coherent schedule regarding updates. Yay for organization...somewhat. :'D**

Edit ;; I really should proofread these chapters before I put them up here orz. Apparently I don't like the word "of" or the letter "a" but eh, what can you do? :3 


	3. Chapter 3

For once in his life, Arthur found himself completely and utterly speechless. He honestly had no idea how to respond to that. He looked around the room once more hesitantly. The people didn't seem shocked at all by Marin's revelation. He chanced a glance over to Shyllyn. Her face was frozen in surprise; mouth agape and eyes wide.

He looked to Alfred, who was still staring at the floor. He was no longer holding his cheek and Arthur could see the welt beginning to form. He was snapped back to reality by Marin's demonic chuckling. "Like what you see? We only hire the best of the best. However, I think we've outdone ourselves with _this_ one." He said, nodding back to Alfred. The boy's eyes remained glued to the hardwood floor.

"What do you mean?" Shyllyn's voice rang out from behind Arthur. Marin straightened his posture and cleared his throat loudly, "It's simple, really. One look at this boy and I knew he needed me just as much as I needed him. You see, profits weren't so good last quarter, if you catch my drift. I knew this one would reel in the customers like flies to honey. I mean just look at him,"

He paused to stroll over to Alfred and caressed his bruising cheek lovingly. "Fine one, he is. I've grown rather attached to him. However, Alfie here doesn't seem to get the gist of what this…business is all about." Marin's grin fell from his face. Arthur eyed both of them curiously, the strange sensation making an unwanted reappearance in his stomach.

"I guess little Alfie here doesn't approve of our…ways of getting customers to pay up." He said, not trying to hide the bitterness in his gruff tone. Arthur blinked, perplexed. Then it hit him. "You mean he won't-"

"Yes!" Marin interrupted him. He shot Alfred a nasty glare before returning his gaze to Arthur.

"He thinks I haven't noticed what he's really been up to, but I'm not dumb. I'm not so dense as to not realize that he's been using his pickpocketing skills to bring in fake profits!" Marin's voice had escalated to a point where he was practically screaming in Arthur's face.

The Brit frowned, "What do you mean 'fake profits'? Isn't all money the same?" He spat at the ringleader. Marin grinned devilishly, "Obviously, I wouldn't expect an outsider like you to understand how we operate. We have very strict rules that need to be adhered to at all times." Marin sighed and relaxed a bit. Arthur reciprocated the gesture.

The ringleader stalked over to Alfred and snaked an arm around the boy's thin waist, "Of course, if this were any of my other employees, they would have been terminated immediately. However, since this is my darling Alfred we're talking about…" He trailed off as he caressed the swollen cheek of the smaller boy. Arthur suddenly had the urge to punch the slimy man. But he resisted, with much effort.

Marin's grip tightened on Alfred's face, making the boy squirm underneath him. Arthur instinctively took a few steps forward. "I care too much about this one to simply let him go." Marin's hand started to dip lower, down the boy's chest. And lower. And lower still. "Enough!" Arthur suddenly shouted.

The boy's eyes widened and he shot the Brit a look that pleaded for him not to start any trouble. Arthur ignored Alfred and marched over towards the two. He grabbed the ringleader's hand and tore it away from the boy, "Get your filthy hands off this boy." He growled out. Marin's hand tensed under Arthur's surprisingly powerful grip. "Or what?" He countered snidely.

Arthur's mind went blank for a moment. Why exactly was he defending this hooligan? He had just met the boy, not to mention that said boy was the one who stole his wallet right out from under him the night before. So why exactly was he standing up for this urchin?

Looking back on the moment, Arthur would have believed himself to be going crazy. The next move he made, he did so without thinking of the consequences. He let go of Marin's hand slowly, which prompted the ringleader to scoff and take a sharp step back, "I knew it. This kitten's all talk and no bite." There.

Without so much as a warning he shot forward, grabbed Alfred's arm in one hand and Shyllyn's in the other, and dashed for the door. It took Marin a moment to process what was happening, but when his mind finally caught up with him he wasted no time, "After them!" He ordered.

However, much to Arthur's slim good fortune, the trio was already out the door and halfway down the street by the time Marin regained enough of his senses to send his goons after them. Arthur allowed Shyllyn to lead after a time considering he wasn't as familiar with the local streets as well as she.

She quickly lead them down an alleyway and took a sharp right turn therein after. Without much warning, she pushed them into a small café on their right and headed towards the back. The patrons watched them curiously, but otherwise paid them no mind. The three leaned against the back wall, gasping for much needed air.

"They shouldn't…be able…to find us…here." Shyllyn said between breaths. Arthur felt his mouth twitch. They were safe; for now. The Brit quickly pondered what had come over him back at the bar. What had made him want to save Alfred like that? He obviously had no external connections with the boy, so why save him from the only life he knew?

He chanced a glance over at the boy, who looked even worse now that they had proper lighting. He could fully see now the extent of what that lifestyle had made of him. Maybe that's why Arthur decided to so recklessly put his life on the line. He had felt like being a Good Samaritan and decided to spare the boy of any more horrors. Yes, that had to be it.

Alfred felt the older man's gaze on him, heavy and calculating. He turned his own eyes to meet Arthur's; the sky clashing forcefully with the forest. For a moment, they just stayed like that; staring into each other's eyes as if they were windows into their soul. An abrupt clearing of the throat, courtesy of Shyllyn, finally broke them out of their reverie.

"Maybe…maybe we should get him somewhere safe." Arthur suggested after a heavy air was beginning to fall upon them. Shyllyn nodded curtly and turned towards Alfred, who looked utterly devoid of life. "We can take him to my house. He'll be safe there." She murmured more to herself than to Arthur, her eyes never leaving the boy's face once.

She leaned over and gently took hold of Alfred's arm, "Come on, I think it's safe now." She whispered. She led the boy out of the back hall and into the main lobby of the café with Arthur hot on her heels. The people inadvertently ignored them when they left, all original interest in the trio now gone.

Arthur thought it a little risky for Shyllyn to hail a taxi, but he let her do it anyway; as long as it got them there faster. They climbed in and Shyllyn quietly murmured her address the taxi driver. He nodded and pulled off the curb, leaving the trio in back to sit in a semi-comfortable silence; the boys on either side with Shyllyn in the middle.

Arthur stared out the window, but didn't really see anything. He was too lost in his own thoughts to care. How the hell had he gotten himself into this mess? Just this morning he was going to visit his brother to discuss something or other. And now here he was, in a taxi, with two strangers; one a nobody worker at the Exploration Place, the other a wayward teenager who wouldn't put out. What a lovely mess he had found himself in. Did God have something against him? Had he cursed the world one too many times? He let out an exasperated sigh and closed his eyes. This day was turning out to be one of the longest he had ever had the displeasure of living through, and it wasn't even noon.

* * *

**So, I decided to change the rating of this story since it deals with some mature themes. Nothing really bad has happened yet, though. But now I feel compelled to write some bad things if only to justify the rating change orz. I also apologize for the sporadic updates. I'm in the process of working up enough balls to quit my job and juggle my classes at the same time. Apparently taking a graduate level history class in only your second semester of college isn't the greatest of ideas.**

Also, some facts about Wichita (copypasta'd from Wiki, with love~)

- Population (as of 2009) ; 372,186 (Metro population ; 612,683)  
- Located in Sedgwick County, south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River  
- Largest city in the state (I once had an argument with someone who claimed that KC was the largest. It may be larger than Wichita in Missouri, but Kansas City, Kansas is definitely not larger than Wichita. Neither is Topeka. So their argument was invalid)  
- I, the author, am not from Wichita. I am from a smaller city about 45 minutes south, near more along the Oklahoma border.

And now, I must get ready to play musical chairs in my Expository Writing class. :)  



	4. Chapter 4

Shyllyn's words fell on deaf ears; the message from her parents was loud and clear. They hadn't even stayed at the nice suburban house for one day before the girl had blatantly told them that they were not allowed to stay there any longer. Her parents had apparently not been fond of Alfred when she knew him back in high school, and they definitely were not fond of the idea of a creepy old man staying in their house as well.

Arthur had stopped listening at the creepy old man comment. He was neither creepy nor old. He inwardly scoffed and watched as the sheepish girl politely excused herself from the room, giving a silent nod towards the front door.

Arthur's expression remained stoic; he somehow knew this sort of thing was going to happen sooner or later. He knew the moment they got in that taxi that they were not going to stay in that position long. Now it was just the two of them…alone. The Brit glanced over at Alfred, who was staring blankly at the knick-knacks on the mantelpiece above the fireplace.

Here came the big question; what to do with this one? He couldn't exactly bring him back to the hotel with him. He needed to check out today anyway. That might as well be their next stop. He couldn't exactly leave the boy on his own now, could he?

He walked over to where the boy was standing, still staring mindlessly at the colorful birds dotting the smooth wood. He set his hand gently on his shoulder, "We should go now." He whispered in the boy's ear. The boy turned his head to direct his gaze at the older man. Once more their eyes met forcefully. Arthur could see nothing. Nothing except pain and sorrow; all this boy had ever experienced in life. Arthur suppressed a shiver and gingerly looped his arm around Alfred's own bony one and started to lead him toward the door.

Once they stepped back outside, the duo was greeted by harsh sunlight directly overhead. Arthur shielded his eyes with his free and glanced up as much as he could without blinding himself, "Huh, it must be close to noon." He commented dryly. He glanced over at Alfred, who was still staring blankly ahead, not really looking at or seeing anything.

Arthur felt his cheeks start to grow warm. He mentally slapped himself and focused on finding their way back to a main street to hail another taxi. Luckily, Shyllyn had paid for the last one. Arthur hadn't brought a lot of money with him this morning. He was once under the crazy impression that he was going to see his brother today.

They meandered around for what seemed like forever in the suburban maze before Arthur finally caught sight of what looked like a busy road. The small green sign above their heads read "Seneca." Arthur furrowed his large brows. He wasn't familiar with the downtown streets as well as the outer roads. He knew how to navigate Rock Road and a bit of Kellogg, but that was about the extent of his knowledge on the subject.

Seneca seemed about as busy as Rock. He exhaled deeply before looking both ways down the street. Arthur frowned; the stream of cars seemed endless. Finally, though, he caught sight of the familiar yellow vehicle.

He huffed and stretched his free arm as far as it would go. If there was one thing about Wichita which he liked, it was the prompt taxi service. He guided the boy into the car after it had pulled to the curb and gruffly told the driver the directions to his hotel. The driver smiled and pulled back out into the busy street.

Once again they were enveloped in silence. Arthur willed himself to stare out the window and definitely not look at the sad excuse for a boy currently slumped beside him. He used this bit of down time to plan his next move. After he checked out of his hotel, there would be no place for him to stay with the boy. Wait, why was he checking out of his hotel today again? Shit.

He quickly pulled out his cell phone and checked his flight schedule. His flight was scheduled to leave in approximately three hours. "Shit!" He cursed loudly, gaining the attention of the old woman up front. The fact that he was leaving the country today had totally slipped his mind up until now. He smacked his forehead loudly and slowly ran his hand down his face.

He looked over to Alfred, whose expression and posture hadn't changed once since they got in the taxi. Arthur racked his brain; what the hell was he supposed to do now? He didn't feel right leaving the boy here only to found by Marin again and be put into _that_ line of work once more. As much as he honestly wanted to do just that, his conscious got the better of him.

"I guess…" Arthur mumbled quietly to himself. He grabbed a fistful of his jacket and squeezed. "I guess you leave me no choice." He threw one last pitiful glance at Alfred before he set to work buying a last minute ticket for the boy. He was coming back to London with Arthur, that much was certain. However, what would they do when they got there? Arthur decided he'd cross that bridge when they got there.

Arthur had told the taxi driver to wait in the parking lot while he hustled inside to check out of his hotel. He left Alfred in the back seat, still staring into nothing but the leather seat in front of him. After a rather heated argument with the desk clerk, (why was it that people had to check out before eleven o'clock, anyway?), Arthur finally returned his room key and, after withdrawing some money to pay the taxi driver from the ATM, strolled back out to the car.

He slipped in quietly when he noticed that the boy seemed to have fallen asleep. Arthur stared at him for a quick moment before turning away; the unwanted warm feeling in his cheeks returning with a vengeance. He mumbled something about the airport. The driver seemed to understand his quiet, incoherent babbling. She smiled again and set off towards Mid-Continent.

…Why did Arthur's life have to suck so, so much?

* * *

**So, I wouldn't consider this a chapter really. More like a transition. I got some sudden inspiration last night and was itching to write. So we actually have some progress! Yay!**

**Anyway, an update on my boring life: I'm heading to New York in about a week or so. Visiting a very dear friend of mine. We're totally going to play Pokemon Stadium on her N64 and drink Kool-Aid alllll niiiight :]**

**Alrighty then, I shall see where I want this story to go~ (Also, I know it's probably dead boring right now. I've never been good at writing aggressive scenes. I'm passive myself, so...) Please bear with me! :3**


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